BRAIN BOOST
ELON Musk has said his Neuralink firm will have a human brain implant ready "in less than a year".
Speaking on on Joe Rogan's latest podcast, the billionaire said the device could one day fix "anything that is wrong with the brain".
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The aim is to create a full brain interface within 25 years.
This would mean that humans could connect to devices with just their minds.
Musk wants his brain implants to stop humans being outpaced by artificial intelligence.
Neuralink was founded in 2016 and is working on tiny 'threads' that could be inserted into the human brain and help treat injuries and trauma.
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Musk explained on the podcast that the insertion process would require a process to "take out a chunk of skull".
The next step is to "put the Neuralink device in there and insert electrode threads into the brain"
The patient would then be stitched up and Musk says you wouldn't even be able to tell that they had the device inserted.
Musk told Rogan: "We're not testing people yet, but I think it won't be too long.
"We may be able to implant a neural link in less than a year in a person I think."
Back in February, Musk announced a new and improved version of the implant.
On its website, the company boasts that it's developing "ultra high bandwidth brain-machine interfaces to connect humans and computers".
The technology isn't just intended for creating a super human cyborg race though.
Musk has said Neuralink will first focus on medical applications, such as tackling the effects of brain diseases like epilepsy.
After this, the brain chips will be updated to develop a "symbiotic relationship" between AI and humanity.
Ultimately, Musk thinks that implanted chips are what will protect humans from becoming an endangered species.
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Musk told Rogan that the implant is around an inch in diameter, similar to the face of a smartwatch.
He said a robot would be used to insert the implant and connect thread-like electrodes to the brain.
Musk explained: "If you got an interface into the motor cortex, and then an implant that's like a microcontroller near muscle groups you can then create a sort of a neural shunt that restores somebody who quadriplegic to full functionality, like they can walk around, be normal – maybe slightly better overtime."
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The billionaire suggested the implanted device is no more dangerous than getting a heart monitor or an artificial hip.
He even suggested that it could speed up the way we communicate and we may not even need to talk.
A brain interface could even mean that people become more machine that human.
Musk said: "You already have a computer extension of yourself and an online extension when someone dies, it is like an online ghost.
"It would just be that more of you would be in the cloud instead of your body."
What is Neuralink?
Here's everything you need to know...
- Neuralink is a project that aims to embed computer chips in people's brains
- The idea is to give humans hyper-intelligence by merging them with artificial intelligence
- Tiny threads thinner than a human hair would pump information into your noggin
- It would work a bit like an internet cable, transmitting data in and out at high speeds
- As well as making us smarter, the project promises to merge us with computers and phones
- That means you could control your gizmos with your brain
- Neuralink is bankrolled by billionaire entrepeneur Elon Musk
- He's previously said the tech could save us from a machine uprising in future
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